Sunday, May 4, 2014

2014 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings By Position

Here are my (at least) top 5 prospects at every position. I also mention my favorite per position for the Bucs. Players are ranked, not in the order in which
I think they’ll be chosen but rather my projection of their success as
pros. For reference, I ranked Colin
Kaepernick higher
than Cam Newton in 2011 (pay no attention to QBs 1-4) and had this to say
about the eventual Niners QB prior to the draft –

Kaepernick might look
a little high here, but he could actually have the greatest potential as a
developmental prospect with a big arm and plus mobility. Once Kaepernick
commits to keeping the ball, he shows impressive straight line speed. He avoids
the pass rush well for a guy who isn’t the thickest QB. Despite running the
Pistol offense at Nevada
I think his skill set will make the transition to a more traditional scheme
fairly seamless.....

Are there any Kaepernicks in this year’s class?

Quarterback

1) Blake Bortles (UCF)

2) Derek Carr (FresnoState)

3) Teddy Bridgewater (Louisville)

4) Johnny Manziel (Texas
A&M)

5) Jimmy Garoppolo (E Illinois)

6) Aaron Murray (Georgia)

7) Zach Mettenberger (LSU)

Favorite for the Bucs – Derek Carr

I’m of the belief that the Bucs will take a QB early and
trade Mike Glennon for a draft pick. Carr
is still my projected pick for the Bucs in round one, whether it is at #7 or
via a trade down in R1. Carr won’t start
right away, and if Josh McCown plays anything like he did last year, he won’t
have to. I love the idea of him learning
behind the scenes with Jeff Tedford without the pressure to produce right away
that derailed his brother’s career.

Running Back

1) Tre Mason (Auburn)

2) Jeremy Hill (LSU)

3) Carlos Hyde (OhioState)

4) Devonta Freeman (FSU)

5) Bishop Sankey (Washington)

6) Terrance West (Towson)

Favorite for the Bucs – Tre Mason

Running back is probably the safest position to rule out as
far as the Bucs go, but if the cupboard was bare, Mason seems like the type of
toy Tedford would be giddy about getting on draft day.

Wide Receiver

1) Sammy Watkins (Clemson)

2) Odell Beckham (LSU)

3) Donte Moncrief (Ole Miss)

4) Mike Evans (Texas
A&M)

5) Brandin Cooks (OregonState)

6) Allen Robinson (PennState)

7) Davante Adams (FresnoState)

8) Kelvin Benjamin (FSU)

9) Jordan Matthews (Vanderbilt)

10) Marqise Lee (USC)

11) Bruce Ellington (South
Carolina)

12) Cody Latimer (Indiana)

Favorite for the Bucs – Donte Moncrief

Watkins is the easy pick, and I’m a huge huge Beckham
fan. I see them being special NFL
receivers. I also think Moncrief will be
in the same discussion two or three years from now, and he’s my ideal R2 pick for
the Bucs.

Tight End

1) Eric Ebron (UNC)

2) CJ Fiedorowicz (Iowa)

3) Jace Amaro (Texas
Tech)

4) Austin Seferian-Jenkins (Washington)

5) Troy Niklas (Notre Dame)

6) Crockett Gillmore (ColoradoState)

Favorite for the Bucs – CJ Fiedorowicz

The Bucs may not draft one, but Fiedorowicz would be the
most complete tight end on the roster and allow the Bucs to be more creative
with Tim Wright and Brandon Myers.

Offensive Tackle

1) Greg Robinson (Auburn)

1a) Jake Matthews (Texas
A&M)

3) Taylor Lewan (Michigan)

4) Morgan Moses (Virginia)

5) Cyrus Kouandjio (Alabama)

Favorite for the Bucs – Jake Matthews

Robinson might be the better long term tackle prospect, but
if I can be optimistic about Anthony Collins and Demar Dotson establishing
themselves as Buccaneer bookends, Matthews’ ability to play multiple positions
would help a weak Tampa Bay interior.

Interior OL

1) Zack Martin (G/T, Notre Dame)

2) Joel Bitonio (G/T, Nevada)

3) Marcus Martin (C, USC)

4) Xavier Su’a-Filo (G, UCLA)

5) Gabe Jackson (G, MississippiState)

Favorite for the Bucs – Anthony Steen (G, Alabama)

I don’t see the Bucs spending a pick on a guard in the first
three rounds. If that’s the case, Steen
should be there on day three when the Bucs go guard shopping. I like him as a candidate to fill the vacant
RG spot. Brandon Thomas would be an
honorable mention as someone the Bucs could basically redshirt his rookie year
and insert in ’15 as a draft steal.

Defensive End

1) Jadeveon Clowney (South
Carolina)

2) Kony Ealy (Missouri)

3) Kareem Martin (UNC)

4) Dee Ford (Auburn)

5) Scott Crichton (OregonState)

Favorite for the Bucs – Kony Ealy

If the Bucs were fortunate enough to find Ealy on the board
in R2, he’d be awful tough to pass up as a guy who could offer pass rush
potential at end and tackle positions.

Defensive Tackle

1) Aaron Donald (Pittsburgh)

2) Timmy Jernigan (FSU)

3) Dominique Easley (Florida)

4) RaShede Hageman (Minnesota)

5) Louis Nix (Notre Dame)

6) Stephon Tuitt (Notre Dame)

7) Kelcy Quarles (South
Carolina)

8) Ego Ferguson
(LSU)

Favorite for the Bucs – Dominique Easley

Similar to Ealy, Easley would be a R2 gift. Since his medicals apparently checked out
well, I could see him going to the Seahawks at the end of R1. Should he slide, he’d be tough to pass up as
a compliment to McCoy and McDonald.

Outside Linebacker

1) Khalil Mack (Buffalo)

2) Jeremiah Attaochu (Georgia Tech)

3) Ryan Shazier (OhioState)

4) Anthony Barr (UCLA)

5) Telvin Smith (FSU)

6) Demarcus Lawrence (BoiseState)

7) Christian Jones (FSU)

8) Carl Bradford (ArizonaState)

Favorite for the Bucs – Telvin Smith

The Bucs only have six draft picks, and with Lavonte David
in place, WLB may be the most solidified starting position on the team. Still, the Bucs have been stung by a lack of
depth in the past, and there’s nothing behind David. If the Bucs add another pick or two and they
really feel like going best available in R3, then Telvin would be a fantastic acquisition.

Inside Linebacker

1) CJ Mosley (Alabama)

2) Chris Borland (Wisconsin)

3) Shayne Skov (Stanford)

4) Yawin Smallwood (Connecticut)

5) Preston Brown (Louisville)

Best for the Bucs – CJ Mosley

If I had to pick a surprise R1 selection for the Bucs,
Mosley or Aaron Donald would be my choice.
Acquiring Mosley would upgrade both the MLB and SLB spots as Foster
would likely move over and start ahead of Jonathan Casillas opposite David.

Cornerback

1) Kyle Fuller (Virginia Tech)

2) Jason Verrett (TCU)

3) Justin Gilbert (OklahomaState)

4) Lamarcus Joyner (FSU)

5) Darqueze Dennard (MichiganState)

6) Bradley Roby (OhioState)

7) Jaylen Watkins (Florida)

8) Rashaad Reynolds (OregonState)

Favorite for the Bucs – Lamarcus Joyner

Yep, another Nole. As
I’ve mentioned in detail on previous occasions, the Bucs are awfully weak at
the nickel corner spot, and Joyner would give them an ideal fit in Lovie’s
defense. He might also project as a
future replacement for Dashon Goldson at free safety.

Safety

1) Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (Alabama)

2) Calvin Pryor (Louisville)

3) Deone Bucannon (Washington
St)

4) Terrence Brooks (FSU)

5) Jimmie Ward (N Illinois)

Favorite for the Bucs – Deone Bucannon

He’s not rated as high by the “experts”, but I really think
Bucannon is going to be a star in the NFL.
He’s long, physical, and excels in zone concepts. From the games I’ve seen, I think, given the
right coaching, he has more potential in pass coverage than his draft bios will
lead you to believe.